The new Know Nothing Party

Friday

May 24, 2013 at 12:01 AM

The "I don't know" crowd has a firm control of the situation.

William Dameron

There was such a party in the 1850’s, largely anti-immigrant. "Know Nothing party" It faded away after 1856; pro-slavery members joined the Democrats, anti-slavery members joined the fledgling Republicans.

A new “Know Nothing” bunch has emerged, however, with the Barack Obama administration. We hear “I don’t know” or “I wasn’t informed” all the time from Obama and his top underlings Hilary Clinton and Eric Holder. White House Press Secretary James Carney echoes the theme when asked specific questions about when the White House was informed on the various scandals now under investigation by Congress.

The top people in the executive branch are protected by a circle of ignorance. No knowledge ever crosses it.

Eric Holder was judged in contempt of Congress for insufficient disclosure of information in his ATF Bureau for the “Fast and Furious” gun walking scandal. In mid-May he repeatedly said “I don’t know” when asked questions such as who was responsible for the AP wiretaps done by the FBI. Supposedly, the Attorney General must sign off on major wiretaps.

Steven Miller, Acting Commissioner of the IRS, didn’t know how it was that conservative organizations were deliberately harassed and denied certification by the IRS, or who was in charge. It certainly wasn’t him!

Hillary Clinton was equally ignorant of the events that took place in Benghazi. She didn’t know that security in the embassy there wasn’t up to par or who created the talking points that Susan Rice followed in the cover-up.

No one knows who gave the orders (two different ones) to stand down any attempt to use military assets to save our people in Benghazi. I’d say no one will ever know.

President Obama was also ignorant. The meddler-in-chief, reputed to be a micro-manager who never listens to suggestions, simply didn’t know about any of it. Plausible deniability (on steroids) seems to be the rule in the Obama administration. It’s amazing how much these people don’t know. But don’t worry, Barack has ordered an investigation, and he’ll fix the problem. Sometime in the far distant future, say about 2233, it will all come out, and he’ll posthumously fire the guilty. That would be after the next election.

I believe the executive who doesn’t know what goes on in his/her organization is incompetent, but that’s just me.

As a final word, in my opinion the IRS maltreatment of the opposition is likely to do huge damage to the Democrats, who are looking like unprincipled thugs. If they punish it decisively, things will simmer down. If they let it go unpunished, they will have no cause to complain if and when Republicans regain power and return the favor – in spades.

Government intimidation of private citizens and groups of the opposition party is a fascist tactic similar to what the Nazis did after they took power. If it continues, there is likely to be an opposing reaction and even more polarization.